Hydraulic support for ships.



-No. '786,840. PATENTED APR. 11, 1905,

- G.&K.PROGHAZK-A.' 1

HYDRAULIC SUPPORT FOR SHIPSJ APPLICATION FILED M AY ll, 1904. '6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

LIB-255555.. ,lfT'ZVEIiZECZKS, I

No. 786,840. 3 PATENTED APR. 11, 1905.

G. 6: K. PROGHAZKA. HYDRAULIC SUPPORT FOHSHIPS.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 11, 1904.

' 6 SHBETS-SHEET 2.-

l'QVETZE/JRS,

Int-255:5.

PATENTED APR. 11, 1905.

G. & K. PROG AZKA.

HYDRAULIC SUPPORT FOR- SHIPS.

AP PLIGATION FILED MASZIll 19 04.

6 SHEETS-rSHEF-T 3.

No. 786,840; v ,PATENTEDYSAPR. 11, 19,05,

' SSS-K. PROGH'AZKA. 1

, HYDRAULIC SUPPORT P0P SHIPS.

urmouron FILED MAY 11. 1904. S

' I s SHEETS-SHEET 4.

i-IITZ EIE EE- IEVEJ-LEURFE Y PATENTED*APR. 11,1905.

G. &' K. PROOHAZKA.

HYDRAULIC SUPPORT FOR SHIPS. 'APPLIGATIQN FILED MAY 11, 1904.

6 SHEBTS+SHEET 5.,

,84 I PATENTED APR.i1,1905.

G. & K. PROOHAZKA.

' HYDRAULIC SUPPORT FOR SHIPS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1904. A e SHEBTS-SEBBT e.

j iZ/ ID1255125551-. W ITLVETZFUKE',

' UNITED STATES Patented April 11, 1905' PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV PnooHAzKA AND KAREL PRocHAZKA, F VELIM, AUSTRIA- HUNGARY.

HYDRAULIC SUPPORT FOR SHIPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,840, dated April 11, 1905.

Application filed May 11, 1904. Serial No. 207,505-

hereby declare that the following is a full,

Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1.

draulic props.

clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to supporting devices for ships, first, for use in docks for the purpose of more rapidly docking the ships without previously fitting and preparing supporting blocks or props, according to the plan of construction of the ship, and, secondly, for use in connection with carriages of devices for lifting and transporting ships on dry land.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention by Way of example, Figure .1 shows a diagrammatic representation in.

cross-section of the supporting devices holding up the ship in a dock, the left hand showing supporting means heretoforeemployed, while at the right side of the same figure is shown the new means for supportingthe ship by means of hydraulic-pressure cylinders.

Fig. 3 is a crossseotion of the hydraulic props. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section showing a set of two hy- Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing details of the automatic devices for turning 01f the'water-cock. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the same. Fig. 7 shows the spring-sleeve of the driving-bolt. Fig. 8 isasection through the valve-chamber of the automatically-acting valve, 'whichmay be used as a modification in place of the arrangementshown in Figs. 5 to 7. Fig. 9 is a vertical section and elevation of the hydraulic bilge-block. Fig. 10 is a plan of the same. of the lower side supports, and Fig. 12 an elevation of the upper side supports.

It is known that the supports heretofore used for a ship 1 in a dock 2 had rigid blocks 3 and side supports 4. and 5. Said parts are replaced in our invention by hydraulicallysetting devices 6, 7, 8, and 9, which automatically come to rest against the skin of the ship and then are held fast in position while the inflow of water under pressure, which has Fig. 11 is an elevation.

out the water without any regard to the form v of the vessel.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 1, the blocks 10 are arranged on a commonhead 11 of pistons 12, arranged in pairs. The corresponding cylinders are set in a bed 14:, running the entire length of the dock. Both cylinders 13 with one block 10 are connected by the pipe 15, so as to have equal pressure on both cylinders, and therefore a horizontal disposition of the block 10. Into the connecting-tube 15 water under pressure is admitted from the pipe 16 through a tap 17 The outlet-water is carried through the same tap 17 to the outlet-pipe 18, for which purpose the tap 17 is so devised that it first establishes connection between the pipe 16 and the pipe'15; secondly, cuts off such connection, and, thirdly, establishes connection of the cylinders with the outlet-pipe 18. This tap is shown in Fig. 4: as permitting communication between tube 15 and pipe 16 and closing off communication between tube 15 and pipe18. Each tap has securely mounted upon its spindle 19 atoothed wheel 20, having teeth 21 engagedby a rack 22, having teeth 23. This rack 22 is by means of a spring (not shown) pressed against the wheel and may in its upward motion slip over the teeth 21, while on its downward motion the rack gears with the said toothed wheel 20, so as to turn the same until the pipe 15 is cut off. The rack 22 is suspended from a one-armed lever 24, the supporting-bracket 25 of which is screwed to thehead 11 of the piston 12 in a slot 26 in the block 10. One end of the lever 24L engages the slot 27 in the bolt 28, whose lower conical end enters the spring-sleeve 29 and projects some centimeters beyond the block 10. The bolt 28 serves for cutting off the admission of water, as follows: VVh'en the ship 1 is brought into the dock, the cut-off valve of the pipe 16 is open and water issues under pressure into the hydraulic cylinders 13, whereby the pistons 12 are pressed against the ship, the bolts 28 coming first against the sides of the vessel. On further displacement of the blocks the bolts 28 enter the sleeves 29 and press the racks 22 downward, acting through the levers 24, so as to automatically shut off the cooks 17 from the pipe containing water and pressure, whereby the block is pressed firmly against the ship. This operation takes place with each hydraulic block offering support to the vessel. WVhen the ship is to be removed from the dock, after water has been admitted into the latter, or, (if the dock be a floating one, after submersion of the same,) the cooks 17 are turned so that the water can flow from the cylinder 13 into the outlet-pipe 18. For this purpose on each wheel is attached a lever 30 with a clip 31. Such clip 31 is engaged by a second clip 32, which is secured to a rod 33, of gas-pipe, guided in rollers 34. By drawing or pushing forward each rod 33 all the cooks l7 simultaneously open, and then water can issue from the cylinders. The pistons 12 sink and the blocks move therewith. So that the racks 22 can move independently of wheels 20, the latter are provided above the teeth 21 with smooth cylindrical faces 35, covering more than half the circumference. When the blocks 10 sink, the bolts 28 strike the tappets 36, attached to the beds 14, so as to return to their former position. The cocks are then brought back to their first position by reversement of the rod 33, so that the blocks are ready for docking the next ship. The second method for cutting ofi the water at the moment the blocks press against the sides of the ship may be carried out by arrangement of an automatic valve such as shown in Fig. 8. In the casing 37 three valves are arranged over one another. Beneath the uppermost valve 38 for the water under pressure is disposed a valve 39, opening in the contrary direction, which valve when the blocks press against the sides of the ship automatically cuts off the water-inflow if at this moment greater pressure of water is exerted in the cylinder by the weight of the ship resting on the blocks than is present in the pipe 16. The lowermost outlet-valve 40 may be opened by lever 41 and rod 33, as in the previous modification. In

I order that no water under pressure can flow from the pipe 16 on opening the outlet-valve 40, the inlet-valve 38 is at the same moment closed by a rod 42. On closing the valve 40 the inlet-valve 38 is again opened. The middle valve 39 works automatically. The bilgesupports 7 are arranged in the same manner. These comprise four hydraulic cylinders 43, built on a common framework 44, resting on running-rails 46 through the intermediary ol two rows of balls 45. The pistons 47 carry above, by means of ball-joints 48, a frame 49, of sheet metal, to which wooden cushions 50 are secured, which cushions are sulliciently flexible to adjust themselves to the shape of the ship. The inflow of water under pressure takes place either by the arrangement above described, the middle block being arranged on the cross-bar 51 of the frame 50, or is cut ofi by an automatic valve. The movementot the bilge-supports against the middle of the dock is efl'ected by horizontal pressure-cylinders 52.

The slide-supports 8 and 9 are represented as telescopically sliding tubes wherein the pressure-water is cut off either automatically or by hand. The lower supports, Fig. 11, are held by braces 53 and are on outflow oi? the water automatically brought against the wall of the dock in their position of rest, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 11. The upper side supports, Fig. 12, are, on the other hand, balanced by counterweights 54.

The abovedescribed arrangement of devices for supporting a ship in a dock is equally applicable for bedding a ship on the carriage of apparatus for raising and moving on land, as the ship can then be quickly placed above supports irrespective the form of the ship and without danger of injuring the latter.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a hydraulic supporting device for ships, the combination of a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a block carried by the piston and adapted to directly receive the impact of the ship, means for conducting a liquid into said cylinder, and means, operative upon an approximation of pressures of the ship and the liquid in the cylinder on the piston, for cutting olf the supply of liquid to the cylinder, substantially as described.

2. In a hydraulic supporting apparatus for ships, the combination of a series of cylinders, a series of pistons in said cylinders, blocks carried by the pistons and adapted to directly receive the impact of the ship, means for conducting a liquid into said cylinders, means, operative upon an approximation of pressures of the ship and the liquid in the cylinders on the pistons, for cutting ofi' the supply of liquid to the cylinders, and means for effecting the release of the liquid in said cylinders simultaneously from all of them, substantially as described.

3. In a hydraulic supporting device for ships, the combination of a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a block carried by the piston and adapted to directly receive the impact of the ship, a liquid-supply pipe, a liquid-discharge pipe, a three-way valve having one way connected with the supply-pipe, another way with the discharge-pipe, and the third IIS way with the cylinder, and means, operative from the ship upon the approach of the block into contact therewith, for shifting the movable part of said valve to cut off access between said valve and the cylinder, substantially as described.

4. In a hydraulic supporting device for ships, the combination ofa cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a block carried by the piston and adapted to directly receive the impact of the ship, a liquid-supply pipe, a liquid-discharge pipe, a three-way valve having one way connected with the supply-pipe, another Way with the discharge-pipe, and the third way with the cylinder, means, operativefrom the ship upon the approach of the block into contact therewith, for shifting the movable part of said valve to cut off access between said Valve and the cylinder, and means for thereupon moving said movable member of the valve to establish connection between the interior of said cylinder and the discharge-pipe, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAV PROOHAZKA, KAREL PRooHAz A.

Witnesses LADISLAV VoJAoZEK, ADOLPH FISCHER. 

